We've heard Floridians complain for years that the state's school grading system does little more than commemorate which schools have wealthy, involved families and which do not.

The same concern has emerged in New York City, where the school system employs a grading program similar to Florida's.

The N.Y. Times reports today that its review of New York high school grades essentially points out which schools are the poorest and most heavily minority, "despite an evaluation system that was meant to equalize differences among student bodies."

Of note, the NYT states that black and Hispanic students are more likely to attend a school that scored low in the city's grading system.

New York has been closing down poor-performing large high schools and replacing them with small ones, which generally do better. It's an idea that Washington Post columnist Jay Mathews is coming to support.

What about that? Is the answer for Florida to give up on its four-strikes-and-maybe-you're-out method in favor of starting bad schools from scratch? Let's hear it.

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